Update on Fatal Pursuit/Suspect Booked

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

This incident continues to be actively investigated by the D.A’s Office, Oakley Police Department, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, the Antioch Police Department, and the CHP Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) per the countywide officer involved fatal incident protocol.

On Tuesday at about 8:27 AM, an Oakley Police Officer was performing traffic enforcement in the area of Main Street and Bridgehead Road when he saw a white Toyota run a stop sign. The officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not yield and sped away at high speed. The pursuit went westbound on E. 18th Street in the city of Antioch. Between Wilson Street and Phillips Lane, with the nearest police car several hundred yards behind, the vehicle collided with a power pole and a fire hydrant and caught fire. The driver of the vehicle fled on foot. The fire department and PG&E were notified.

Officers later spotted the driver nearby entering a vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident and went to a local hospital for injuries apparently sustained during the collision. He is identified as 22-year-old Javonte Mathis of Concord. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on two charges: murder and evasion causing death to a person. He is being held in lieu of $1.1 million bail.

It was later discovered that inside the vehicle was a deceased passenger. The identification is not available as the Coroner’s Division and the Crime Lab are working on positively identifying that person.

Officers recovered a loaded semiautomatic pistol near the burned vehicle. It was later determined that the gun was stolen.